ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Investigating the performance of TiO₂/orange peel waste activated carbon on murree shale swelling inhibition: a central composite and experimental design study

Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Syed Imran Ali, Farrukh Hafeez, Mohsin Ayubi, and Zeeshan Ahmad Arfeen

Department of Petroleum Engineering, NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Pakistan

E-mail: shaine@neduet.edu.pk

Received: 8 April 2025  Accepted: 2 June 2026

Abstract:

The study focused on the preparation of carbonaceous material supported TiO₂ composite using a hydrothermal technique, and its application as a shale inhibitor in water-based mud (WBM). The activated carbon/anatase-TiO₂ (AC/TiO₂) nanoparticles were synthesized using orange peel powder, which was then serve as a supported for anatase-TiO₂ nanoparticles. The shale swelling mitigating characteristics of AC/TiO₂ composites was also compared with sodium alginate; a biopolymer obtained from brown algae. The result of the study reveals that the AC/TiO₂ composites were highly effective and played a pivotal role in inhibiting the shale swelling behavior. As the concentration of AC/TiO₂ composites increases in WBM, a significant reduction in swelling was recorded in linear dynamic swell-meter experiment. A minimum of 5.8% was recorded when 3.50 g of AC/TiO₂ composites was used in WBM. In contrast, 5.25 g of sodium alginate was also required to achieve the same shale swelling. This finding was also in good agreement with the ANOVA analysis, where AC/TiO₂ composites demonstrated \(\:\:p-value\:<\:0.05\) confirming its statistical significance. Additionally, the predicted model generated by the CCD method performed efficiently at higher AC/TiO₂ concentration, showing good agreement between the model and the experimental results for samples containing higher weight of AC/TiO₂ composites.

Keywords: AC/TiO2 composites; Water-based mud; Shale swelling; Central composite design; Sodium alginate

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-05160-2

Chemical Papers 80 (11) 12977–12992 (2026)